Sugarcane vinasse: Environmental implications of its use

The inadequate and indiscriminate disposal of sugarcane vinasse in soils and water bodies has received much attention since decades ago, due to environmental problems associated to this practice. Vinasse is the final by-product of the biomass distillation, mainly for the production of ethanol, from sugar crops (beet and sugarcane), starch crops (corn, wheat, rice, and cassava), or cellulosic material (harvesting crop residues, sugarcane bagasse, and wood). Because of the large quantities of vinasse produced, alternative treatments and uses have been developed, such as recycling of vinasse in fermentation, fertirrigation, concentration by evaporation, and yeast and energy production. This review was aimed at examining the available data on the subject as a contribution to update the information on sugarcane vinasse, from its characteristics and chemical composition to alternatives uses in Brazil: fertirrigation, concentration by evaporation, energy production; the effects on soil physical, chemical and biological properties; its influence on seed germination, its use as biostimulant and environmental contaminant. The low pH, electric conductivity, and chemical elements present in sugarcane vinasse may cause changes in the chemical and physical-chemical properties of soils, rivers, and lakes with frequent discharges over a long period of time, and also have adverse effects on agricultural soils and biota in general. Thus, new studies and green methods need to be developed aiming at sugarcane vinasse recycling and disposal. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of pituitary gonadotropins, gonadal steroids and breeding season in sex change of protogynous dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Teleostei: Serranidae), induced by a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor

Two experiments were performed using the aromatase inhibitor (AI) letrozole (100mg/kg) to promote sex change, from female-to-male, in protogynous dusky grouper. One experiment was performed during the breeding season (spring) and the other at the end of the breeding season (summer). During the spring, AI promoted sex change after 9weeks and the sperm produced was able to fertilize grouper oocytes. During the summer, the sex change was incomplete; intersex individuals were present and sperm was not released by any of the animals. Sex changed gonads had a lamellar architecture; cysts of spermatocytes and spermatozoa in the lumen of the germinal compartment. In the spring, after 4weeks, 11ketotestosterone (11KT) levels were higher in the AI than in control fish, and after 9weeks, coincident with semen release, testosterone levels increased in the AI group, while 11KT returned to the initial levels. Estradiol (E2) levels remained unchanged during the experimental period. Instead of decreasing throughout the period, as in control group, 17 α-OH progesterone levels did not change in the AI-treated fish, resulting in higher values after 9weeks when compared with control fish. fshβ and lhβ gene expression in the AI animals were lower compared with control fish after 9weeks. The use of AI was effective to obtain functional males during the breeding season. The increase in androgens, modulated by gonadotropins, triggered the sex change, enabling the development of male germ cells, whereas a decrease in E2 levels was not required to change sex in dusky grouper. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Genetic parameters for scrotal circumference, breeding soundness examination and sperm defects in young Nellore bulls

A total of 51,161 records of scrotal circumference measurements at 18 mo of age (SCI 8) and 17,648 records of sperm defects and breeding soundness of Nellore bulls (mean age of 22.5 mo), raised under extensive conditions, were analyzed to estimate coefficients of heritability and genetic correlations of morphological semen traits by Bayesian inference. The observed semen traits were classified as minor (MID). major (MAD), and total sperm defects (TD). The animals were classified according to breeding soundness as satisfactory and unsatisfactory potential breeders. The (co)variance components and breeding values were estimated by Gibbs sampling using the GIBBS2F90 program under an animal model that included contemporary group as fixed effect, age of animal as linear covariate, and direct additive genetic effects as random effects. Heritabilities of 0.40 ± 0.02, 0.16 ± 0.02, 0.04 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01, and 0.10 ± 0.01 were obtained for SCI8, MID, MAD, TD, and breeding soundness, respectively. The SC18 showed a positive and moderate correlation with breeding soundness (0.56 ± 0.04) and a negative and low correlation with MID (-0.23 ± 0.03), MAD (-0.16 ± 0.02), and TD (-0.24 ± 0.02). In conclusion, scrotal circumference showed the best response to selection among the traits studied and was favorably correlated with breeding soundness and sperm morphology in young Nellore bulls. © 2013 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of the life cycle assessment of particleboards made of residues from sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum spp.) and pine wood shavings (Pinus elliottii)

This paper presents a research on the environmental impacts of particleboards produced from wastes, based on a comparative Life Cycle Assessment study. The particleboards were manufactured in laboratorial scale from the following residues: sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum spp.) and pine wood shavings (Pinus elliottii). The study was developed following the methodological guidelines of ISO 14040. The functional unit adopted was the m2 of the particleboards produced and the impacts were evaluated by the Environmental Development of Industrial Products method. The results indicated that pine particleboard present the highest environmental impact potential. Our findings suggested that the factors that mostly aggravated the environmental impacts were: the distance between the raw materials and the production site, and formaldehyde emissions (FE). The first is related to the combustion of fossil fuel during the acquisition of raw material, which achieved the values of 2185.94 g/m2 for consumption of non-renewable resources for pine particleboard and 893.53 g/m2 for bagasse particleboard. The second is related to the use of urea-formaldehyde resin, responsible for the FE into the air during production. The FE is accountable for the contamination of approximately 7,800,000.00 m3 of air per m2 of particleboard produced, and was the factor with the greatest impact in human toxicity potential. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Storage of sugarcane stalks (Saccharum officinarum cv. SP 79-1011) in low oxygen atmospheres and the effects on enzymatic browning

Although sugarcane consumption is very popular worldwide there are few studies regarding the postharvest storage of stalks that focus on controlling enzymatic browning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of sugarcane stalks stored at 10±1°C in controlled atmosphere with various oxygen (O2) levels (1kPa, 5kPa, 10kPa, 15kPa, and 21kPa) and to verify the effect of this storage on the activities of polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD). At 1kPa and 5kPa O2, the stalks' respiratory rate, POD activity, and reducing sugar content were significantly less (P<0.05) than at higher O2 concentrations. In contrast, low O2 levels did not affect PPO activity or influence cane coloration. These results can be used to guide the choice of plastic films, making it possible to store sugarcane stalks in a controlled atmosphere. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Tolerância à deficiência hídrica em cultivares de cana-de-açúcar avaliada por meio de variáveis morfofisiológicas

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Características morfofisiológicas e agrupamento genético de cana-de-açúcar sob deficiência hídrica

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Consumo de combustível de duas colhedoras de cana-de-açúcar em função da velocidade e rotação de motor

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Comportamento de genótipos de cana-de-açúcar em relação ao complexo broca-podridão causado pela ação de Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius, 1794) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) e microorganismos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Identificação de marcadores moleculares relacionados à severidade de sintomas da ferrugem marrom em painel associativo de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Expressão diferencial da aquaporina ScPIP2;1 em genótipos de cana-de-açúcar contrastantes para a tolerância à seca

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Mecanismos fisiológicos e bioquímicos da cana-de-açúcar sob estresses induzidos por deficiência hídrica e paraquat

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Agricultura) - FCA

Strategies to improve the efficiency of genomic selection in animal breeding programs

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Interação genótipo x ambiente, adaptabilidade e estabilidade em genótipos de cana-de-açúcar

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Genética e Melhoramento de Plantas) - FCAV

Crop residues on short-term CO2 emissions in sugarcane production areas

The proper management of agricultural crop residues could produce benefits in a warmer, more drought-prone world. Field experiments were conducted in sugarcane production areas in the Southern Brazil to assess the influence of crop residues on the soil surface in short-term CO2 emissions. The study was carried out over a period of 50 days after establishing 6 plots with and without crop residues applied to the soil surface. The effects of sugarcane residues on CO2 emissions were immediate; the emissions from residue-covered plots with equivalent densities of 3 (D50) and 6 (D100) t ha-1 (dry mass) were less than those from non-covered plots (D0). Additionally, the covered fields had lower soil temperatures and higher soil moisture for most of the studied days, especially during the periods of drought. Total emissions were as high as 553.62 ± 47.20 g CO2 m-2, and as low as 384.69 ± 31.69 g CO2 m-2 in non-covered (D0) and covered plot with an equivalent density of 3 t ha-1 (D50), respectively. Our results indicate a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, indicating conservation of soil carbon over the short-term period following the application of sugarcane residues to the soil surface.